


The Road Home

by busaikko



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Haiku, Japanese, M/M, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2005-12-03
Updated: 2005-12-03
Packaged: 2017-10-09 17:13:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 661
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/89751
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/busaikko/pseuds/busaikko
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Readers of <i>The Manyoshu</i> or <i>Oku No Hosomichi</i> may find references.</p>
    </blockquote>





	The Road Home

**Author's Note:**

> Readers of &lt;i&gt;The Manyoshu&lt;/i&gt; or &lt;i&gt;Oku No Hosomichi&lt;/i&gt; may find references.

The letter came by owl post; it found Severus alone. He unrolled it and blinked. It had been a very long time, now, a hard time, and he was still sometimes surprised that he had made it through alive. Well. He traced the familiar, spidery letters. Alive, but not living. He had not thought of _living_ until the letter kindled the faintest spark of hope. He didn't like to hope. It hurt. He reread the words.

 

* * *

  


久々の　平和をやっと　取り戻し

  


(Hi sa bi sa no / he i wa o ya t to / to ri mo do shi)

  


A long-absent peace　finally restored

  


  


久々に　帰り道の初歩　を踏み出す

  


(hi sa bi sa ni / ka e ri mi chi no sho ho / o fu mi da su)

  


And I, finally, take the first step on the road home.

  


* * *

 

The hard lines of Severus' face eased slightly. _The road home_. He dipped his quill in the ink and dashed off a reply for the waiting owl, drying the words with a pass of his wand, posting it before he could have regrets.

 

* * *

  


迷い込む　道の運命　に躓く

  


(ma yo i ko mu / mi chi no u n me i / ni tu ma du ku)

  


I keep stumbling over this cold unknowable fate I wandered into

  


* * *

 

Severus found the owl back again the next morning.

"He's going to wear the wings off you," he told the bird, and fed it the crusts off his toast. "Insistent bastard, isn't he? What's he on about now?" He took the message out and put the owl in the wardrobe for a brief nap.

 

* * *

  


闇夜なら　北極星が　指図する

  


(ya mi yo na ra / ho k kyo ku se i ga / sa shi zu su ru)

  


If it's a moonless night I will have the polar star to navigate by.

  


* * *

 

"Pretentious git," Severus muttered, chewing on the end of his quill and looking around the room. It was shabby, that couldn't be helped, but he supposed that it could be cleaner. He got up, opened the windows, and went back to sit at his table and stare at the sheet of parchment there.

 

* * *

  


図らざる　同情心　その値段は

  


(ha ka ra za ru / do u jyo u shi n / so no ne da n wa?)

  


What unexpected compassion--I wonder what it is worth?

  


* * *

 

The owl ruffled in disgruntlement as he fished it out of his second-best robes. He bribed it with a dried lizard and watched as it soared out of sight, before setting about putting his house in order.

 

* * *

 

Severus had just put the last of the chopped potatoes into the stew when the owl dropped limply through his window. He cut a slice of the rye bread for the owl and read the letter while stirring his cauldron.

 

* * *

  


珍しく　心の価格は　宝より

  


(me zu ra shi ku / ko ko ro no ka ka ku wa / ta ka ra yo ri)

  


The price of a heart? It is a rare thing indeed: more than any treasure.

 

  
_You might as well keep Strix with you, unless you are waxing particularly poetic. And save me some supper, would you?_   


  


  
_   
_   


 

* * *

 

"Well," he said when he opened the door. "I never thought you would come."

Remus' mouth quirked up at the corners. "I did tell you I would, when it was all over."

"I'm surprised you found me."

"It took some doing." Remus blinked away the last of his hesitancy and reached out, curled fingers resting along Severus' cheek.

"Your poetry," Severus said, "is very bad."

"I didn't know if I'd be welcome."

Severus pulled him inside, shut the door, and found himself in Remus' arms being kissed within an inch of his life. This, he thought dizzily, this was why he was still alive. Because he had _living_ yet to do. And someone to do it with.

 

* * *

  


やっと家　に辿り着いた あの美夜

  


(ya t to i e / ni ta do ri tsu i ta / a no bi yo ru)

  


When you finally made it home after all that time: that lovely night.


End file.
